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Tennessee football report card: Grading Vols in 41-21 win vs. Gamecocks

By Caleb Calhoun

KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE - OCTOBER 26: Jauan Jennings #15 of the Tennessee Volunteers celebrates defeating the South Carolina Gamecocks after the game at Neyland Stadium on October 26, 2019 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Silas Walker/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE - OCTOBER 26: Jauan Jennings #15 of the Tennessee Volunteers celebrates defeating the South Carolina Gamecocks after the game at Neyland Stadium on October 26, 2019 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Silas Walker/Getty Images) /
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Photo by Silas Walker/Getty Images
Photo by Silas Walker/Getty Images /

Special teams

Place-kicking: B+

It’s crazy that Brent Cimaglia finally missed his first field goal under 40 yards. That would drag him down a lot, but he made up for it by making a 46-yard field goal early on. And he also made a 31-yard field goal while not missing an extra point. Paxton Brooks, meanwhile, was perfect on kickoffs. So that miss keeps this grade from being an A, but it was still pretty good.

Punting: A-

Brooks punted three times while Doyle punted once. There was one Brooks punt that could have gone further. But the other three by them together all went inside the 20. One went inside the 10-yard line, and another went 51 yards. So Tennessee football finally restored its title of Punter U after having a bad few weeks earlier.

Return game: A+

Marquez Callaway had a punt return for a touchdown. Daniel Bituli blocked a punt for another touchdown, which counts in the return game. Two touchdowns in that aspect will automatically make for an elite performance, and that was the case for this unit. It ended up making a huge difference in the game.

Overall special teams grade: A

The Vols may have suffered their first missed field goal within 40 yards all year. And that’s bad. But everything else on special teams was nearly perfect. Two special teams touchdowns is enough to give this unit an A. So we’re fine giving it to them, and if Cimaglia had just not missed that kick, it may have been the greatest special teams performance ever.

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